AUTOMOTIVE
There are concerns that the German car market will lose out to the likes of Tesla if its interests are put before caring for the environment
‘Clean up your act’ say microtech firms toGerman auto industry
BMWis to assemble the electricmini in the UK but the drive train will be built in Germany. Meanwhile, the Germanmicrotechnology industry is pressing customers and politicians to do more to ensure Germany leads the environmental automotive race. Andy Pye reports
T
he automotive industry is one of the strongest economic sectors in Germany, with 70 per cent of value added by suppliers such as themicrotechnology sector.
In a short survey of 14 experts fromGermany, the
IVAMExecutive Panel is emphasising that the German automotive industry should not be protected under all conditions. No concessions, they say, should bemade against climate protection to protect the interests of the industry and the economy. Clearly, fraud attempts such as exhaust gas manipulation should not be tolerated. And the group sees it as necessary to workmore intensively on alternative drive technologies. The survey arose in the wake of the disclosure of
diesel exhaust gasmanipulations at VWand other carmanufacturers in Germany, who intended to obscure the fact that the exhaust emissions of their cars exceeded environmental standards. The microtechnology companies are saying that leading politicians, including German chancellor Angela Merkel, do not want to overburden and weaken the industry with high environmental standards. But only a third agree – almost 60 per cent believe that climate protectionmust have priority over the interests of the automotive industry. Regardless of environmental policy and the
disputable issue of whether the climate needs to be protected, themicrotechnology industry is calling for faster development of alternative drive technologies. It believes that the German automotive industry should have donemore for the development ofmore eco-friendly drives. Even if it is not soundly proven that emissions of exhaust gas affect the climate, the representatives say it is necessary to develop clean alternatives to the combustion engine. Environmental standards are helpful because they create the necessary innovation pressure. Stronger efforts to develop alternative drive
technologies are above all necessary in order to remain competitive. Companies such as Tesla and carmanufacturers in China aremore advanced already in the development of electric drives. If the German government continues to give in to the
20 /// Environmental Engineering /// August 2017
Should the interests of the German automotive industry be protected
even at the expense of climate protection?
interests of the automotive industry and tolerate its adherence to combustion engines and its tricks to avoid environmental standards, the industry will lose its leading position to competitors in other countries. Drive technology is themajor application field for
Are German automotive manufacturers making sufficient efforts to develop eco-friendly drive technologies?
microtechnology in automotive engineering today and in the near
future.More than 40 per cent of suppliers fromthemicrotechnology industry are working on drive technology, as the economic data survey conducted by the IVAMMicrotechnology Network in early 2017 revealed. According to this data survey and data provided by the VDA (Verband der Automobilindustrie – German Automotive Industry Association), electromobility is themost important driver for automotive innovations next to digitalisation. IWAMargues that Germanmanufacturers have
to yield to the competitive pressure as well as the wishes of environmentally conscious consumers. There is a demand for vehicles with alternative drives, but they are alsomore expensive, so compromises between desires and profitability need to bemade today. In order to develop a policy that is
environmentally friendly as well as economical and suitable for everyday use, a lot of work still needs to be done, themicrotechnology experts believe. There are technical challenges that need to be addressed, such as batteries with a longer range. The disposal of used batteries and a sufficient supply of electricity and charging sources are also still problematic. EE
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